House Ghost ONC 2022 LONGLISTER

Chapter 2: The Human

"Is there something wrong? Do you need to file a report?"

I take a step closer to examine the ceiling. There it is, a ten-inch gap between the hatch and the attic. I cock my head and peer into the darkness staring down at me.

Huh.

I havent gone into the attic in years. It's not that I'm scared, I just never had the need to. But gazing up at the partly open entrance sends a chill down my spine. The storm is making it look way more spooky than it is.

"Justin! Are you still there?"

The ladder doesn't unfold when I tug on the cord. In fact, there's a lot of resistance.

"Sorry, I'm gonna have to call you back."

"Justin--"

Swiping down, I end the call and open up my flashlight app. The beam of light pierces into the hole, burning the darkness. Something feels off. Shaking off the growing sense of unease, I sweep the light across the opening. It's empty; the light shows me nothing. For a second, I think I hear something skitter as I move the flashlight. Does this apartment have rats? Whatever it is, it's drowned out by the steady rain pounding on the roof.

I stretch up and pull at the hatch itself. A scream, a creaking of joints, and the ladder reluctantly unfolds. An unexplainable feeling of dread washes over me, trying to root me in place, push me away from the hatch, move me anywhere besides deeper into this chilling storage space in the middle of a thunderstorm.

"C'mon Justin, you're a big boy. You're not scared of the dark. Get it together."

Cautiously, I put my weight on the first few steps and crane my head forward, trying to see if anything is out of place.

I have no idea how I didn't see it before, but a cardboard box comes hurtling down the hatch. My arms flail out, but I don't have time to react before the box hits my head and the ladder slips out from under me. Everything goes white, and a sonic crash of thunder booms in my ears.

When I come to, I'm on the floor and my head is stinging. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but the sky is already much darker. Thank god it wasn't a heavier box.

"Ughhh, what the hell." I pull myself to my feet. "That storm must have pushed stuff around up there...and jostled the ladder down?" I rub the bump on my skull. "I mean, the building isn't new. Maybe there are cracks that the wind can gust through."

Another clash of thunder makes my head throb harder and the downstairs light flickers.

"Ffff...ugh." I reach for my phone lying on the floor a couple feet away. The screen flashes the empty battery before going black. "That's just great. I'll look into this later. No way am I going up there in this dark without a light."

I heft the ladder back into place. Only when I'm back downstairs do I notice how fast my heart has been thumping the whole time.

"Justin, calm down. That box was probably stuck there for a while, and the ladder opening moved it out of place. I'll deal with it after work tomorrow."

After my phone charges for a few minutes, I power it on and check its notifications. There's a voicemail from my landlady and multiple chat messages. I'll look at the voicemail later, and click on the chat.

2:32 'sup dude? You said you got off early today wanna get smashed and crush some COD? Chase and Tyler are free.

2:45 Yo,Justin, where you at?

2:47 Justin?

3:52 Hey, it's been an hour. We started a run. Here's the code if you wanna join.